Anderson Zaca: Fire Island Invasion

Pride and celebration radiate throughout Zaca’s black-and-white images of the annual Fire Island Invasion

The Fire Island Invasion of the Pines is an annual event that takes place on July 4 on Fire Island, New York. The inaugural invasion took place in 1976 when a drag queen was denied entry into a restaurant in the Pines and a group of her friends, also dressed in drag, stormed the island in protest. Since then, the invasion has been repeated every year, with hundreds of drag queens descending on the Pines to commemorate and celebrate this original act of protest. This book marks the 50th anniversary of this historic cultural phenomenon.

New York–based photographer Anderson Zaca (born 1976) began documenting the Invasion in 2007. Shot using black-and-white film and a medium format camera, Zaca's work combines traditional and contemporary elements, showcasing the intricate details of each scene and capturing the beautifully contradictory nature of the individuals involved. With over 3,000 images spanning almost two decades, Zaca's photographs serve as both an archive and a tribute to the transformative power of the art of drag during this iconic annual celebration.